Barry Shapiro

Industrial Designer

My wife and I recently moved to Vermont from Pennsylvania. It was always our dream to live here. Needless to say it has opened up opportunities to indulge in lots of outdoor activities including Skiing, Hiking and Kayaking to name a few. We have 2 Siberian huskies that are most definitely enjoying the cooler weather and snow.

I was an industrial designer at Lasko Products for close to 28 years. I have extensive experience in New Product Development. During my time at Lasko I acquired aproximately 68 design and utility patents. I played a key role in establishing new paradygms for new product categories. One of my strongest skills is problem solving and finding creative solutions to those problems. I worked extensively to develop more cost effective ways to build products and eliminate parts while at the same time enhancing them for greater consumer appeal. Lasko was a full service Product Development group that includes all aspects of the design process including engineering, prototyping and model making. As Manager of the ID group, the shop was under my management. Prototyping and models were built with the aid of our own SLS, MJF and PolyJet printers.

Many of the designs I did for Lasko have been key products that were sold at all the major Store and clubs. Those products. have generated billions in sales over the years. I am fortunate to be able to say that most home in the US have products that either designed or played a role in developing. While maybe not the most glamorous category of consumer products,  they are challenging to design since they deal with many requirements such as the ability to blow air, be quiet, safe and meet all of the goals of increasingly difficult to meet cost requirements. Creating perceived value while cutting cost is both difficult but can be very rewarding.